Damian Lillard gives shoutout to Ogden in new Adidas ad

One day while covering the Weber State basketball team, I asked Damian Lillard what he was majoring in at Weber State. He said, "It's technical sales." Then he paused and said with a smile, "I hope I don't have to use that for awhile."

I'm not sure if this counts as using his degree or not, but Lillard's skills on the basketball court have also afforded him an opportunity to develop his talents as a salesman, thanks to a contract signed with Adidas in May that will pay him "well over $100 million," according to USA Today.

In his latest pitch for Adidas, titled "BOOST or Bust," Lillard is working in a popcorn stand at the theater and gives a buttery smooth shoutout to the three O's he honors with his Portland Trail Blazers jersey No. 0 — Ogden, Oregon and Oakland.

Lillard may have recently made the finalist list for the 2014 USA Men's World Cup team roster, alongside the Utah Jazz's Gordon Hayward, but he's got his work cut out for him to make it behind the counter at the local multiplex. Watch out for that nacho cheese sauce.

Roy Burton has covered sports and news as a professional journalist in the state of Utah for over a decade. He now works as an editor and designer at the Deseret News. Follow him on Twitter at @RoyBurton.

Comments (3)

1. Wildcat

O-town, UT,

Aug. 6, 2014

Love the commerical! It's nice to see a great guy like Damian having all
the success he is experiencing in the NBA. Damian is the best Oakland/Ogden
connection since the Oakland A's had their AAA baseball affiliate in Ogden.
Can't wait to see Lillard and Blazers in action this year.

2. Bigpics

West Haven, UT,

Aug. 6, 2014

Having to watch an ad to be able to.... ....watch an ad.

Priceless.
(So to speak)

But the kid IS a media natural. And as worth the
endorsement bucks as anyone be in that $$ stratosphere....

Meanwhile,
go O-Town...

3. USAlover

Salt Lake City, UT,

Aug. 7, 2014

O-Town shout out! Great player.

I'm one BYU fan who laughed
when Damian said he was better than Jimmer in college. The kid has certainly
exploded in the NBA. Great job, dude! Happy for your success.